Office Survival Tips from Survivor and the Undead

Prevent your job-pocalypse with survival tips from The Walking Dead! Since late October the pale characters we’re all familiar with have returned to wreak havoc on the streets of America. In the seventh season, Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln, and his ragtag group of survivors now find themselves in the clutches of a scapegoat and his brutal henchmen. And we are treated to more horror scenarios on a grand scale. But we have good news: In addition to the drone of Biters and the firefights, The Walking Dead has a number of valuable career tips to offer! Learn more in part 13 of our #CareerTipsFromHollywood.

BEWARE – SPOILERS INSIDE! Attention, dear zombie fans. This article contains spoilers for Seasons 1-7. Turn back now if you don’t want to see them. For everyone else: Welcome to the kingdom of the undead!

Tip 1: Don’t disappear into the crowd like a Biter!

Ever since the apocalypse, Rick, Daryl and their gang have been fighting them: the living dead. A virus of unknown origin infected the American people and ever since, a large group of pale, rather unsightly yet deadly walkers has been roaming the streets at remarkable pace.

Do you yourself feel like you’ll be swallowed up into the group and want to be more than just another applicant, employee or trainee? Then let’s get going: Before you start, impress your (potential) employer with your creative application, propose your own ideas when working on projects and score points with your strengths! Don’t overdo it though. Bashing you colleagues out of the way like Negan does with his “little helper,” Lucille, a barbed wire-studded baseball bat, is really not a good idea. But a healthy dose of self-confidence when doing your job can’t hurt. Don’t be a zombie! Trust in yourself!

Tip 2: Keep calm and Carol on!

Carol has dealt with a lot during the zombie apocalypse: Her husband beat her, she lost her daughter to the Walkers, she was banished by Rick... And those are just a few of the terrible things she’s had to endure. But with every setback she rose above and the shy creature she started out as slowly developed into a truly powerful woman. Carol now makes her own decisions and knows exactly what she wants. And you can, too!

Learn and grow from your setbacks! Things don’t always go smoothly at work. Highs and lows are part of your job – just like a crossbow is part of Daryl’s. So don’t be disappointed when things don’t go just right, a project stalls or some other misfortune befalls you – it’s totally normal. Do not let yourself get discouraged. Take the example of Carol: Get up, learn from it and carry on!

Tip 3: Focus on what matters!

Attacks, hunger, the undead – as if just one of these problems weren’t enough! Michonne and the others fight for survival every day. You too can tackle the stressful phases in your job – use your constitution to compete with the zombies from the show.

Are you serious? Everything falls apart, you're in my face over skipping laundry?

Andrea Harrison

How to change things, easily: Focus on what matters and get to grips with where your priorities lie. Do you really need to start working on all of these tasks immediately? Make a list of what you have to do with deadlines and make sure you prioritize tasks not only by urgency, but also by their importance. Try not to get distracted by other things and start your day with the most important task. Once you’ve finished that you can turn your attention to your remaining tasks in peace – you’ve already gotten the most important item out of the way.

Bonus weapon 4: When all else fails, eliminate a few Biters!

Don’t take that literally, of course. To let off steam Daryl usually takes a bit of time for himself out in the woods or other places you might run into the odd zombie. He takes out his frustration by “clearing” them out of the way. This really isn’t an option when it comes to your colleagues or clients.

But you can try to find an activity after work or during breaks to let off steam. Sports, gaming, walks, reading – there are so many effective ideas out there for relieving stress! You can then return to work with a more balanced attitude and no one will end up losing their head.

And in case you haven’t had enough yet, we’ve got even more #CareerTipsFromHollywood from the stars: